Hand-Picking a doll at AGP

[thepidget]

This is from my own experience at AGP. When I bought my Kit doll, I started by peering through the little "windows" on the boxes to see if I liked the look of the doll. If I found some dolls I liked, I would take off the lid to check their wigs, limbs, faces, clothes, etc. I think it's important to check and see if everything is up to snuff.

Definitely don't try to remove the doll from the box. I pulled off the neck elastic from one of the Kits and a saleslady had to come in and ask me to stop. [img]eek.gif[/img] [img]redface.gif[/img] [img]redface.gif[/img] [img]redface.gif[/img] Haha. It was a lesson learned. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Have fun choosing your next doll! Let us know who you get! [img]smile.gif[/img]

[etoileangevin]

My experience is that it's okay to take off the box lid to look, but it's not okay to detach anything or take the doll out. I don't have a personal shopper though.

I'm fine with that, everyone who shops at AGP should get a brand new doll, one that hasn't been taken out and "played with" by someone else. There really isn't a big need to detach the doll imho. You could choose the face/hair you prefer, and you can see the body thickness when you open the lid. I think the only things left are the tightness of the limbs and the writing on the back of the neck. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think I would reject a doll that's otherwise perfect just because of that.

I must mention here that at AGP, most people don't take the lid of the boxes when choosing a doll. So although it's technically "allowed" to open the lids, you WILL attract attention (both salespeople and other shoppers), especially if you have more than one box open at a time... Nothing wrong with that, but it did make me feel a little nervous when choosing my Jess [img]redface.gif[/img]

Good luck on finding that perfect doll! Don't worry, most AG dolls are wonderful, when you find one with the face/hair you just love, chances are that the body is going to be perfect too [img]graemlins/rose.gif[/img]

What do you guys think about whether AG should allow dolls to be taken out of their boxes when someone is choosing?

Katherine

[Ashley1972]

The fact that #5 and #15 were not on display has me worried that they may be retiring soon. I think we should be able to take the dolls out of the boxes to inspect them because there have been a lot of problems with Jess not being perfect. I understand why the saleslady would get nervous, however, because the doll could get messy by being handled so much.

[Avione]

Can you just open the doll boxes and check for limb tightness, etc.? Or when people pick them out, do they go by their faces through the window?

[katherinecusick]

Oooh! One of the best moments re:AG's was in AGPC & NY when I got to open as many boxes as I wanted and totally check out each doll! The saleslady encouraged me to really thoroughly inspect each doll to insure I left with one that was perfect, so I'm sure you can feel free to just go wild when you are there. I looked at about 10 each of Jess & Kit to find my most perfect doll. With Holly (#5) I had to go to the sales counter and ask the saleslady to bring me 2 to compare them because they weren't out on display. I hope you have a terrific time! I almost got Nellie in NY (in addition to Kit) but was afraid I'd have too much carry on baggage. I wish now that I'd gone ahead because Nellie is lovely. Let us know how your trip goes...which one are you headed for? Katie

[Kenshinchan]

When searching for dolls, I checked through the window and decided which ones I liked best. Once I saw one that I thought was a "contender" (face that I liked, hair looked managable, etc.), I took off the lid and checked the rest. You are definitely not supposed to take off the elastic bands to check the back of the head or doll (although I know at least one woman here managed it anyway with a Personal Shopper [img]smile.gif[/img] ).

I did not have a Personal Shopper, but was greeted by a salesperson on the way in, so she understood what I was up to.

That said, I reckon that most shoppers, maybe the vast majority, either pick by looking through the window, or else just take the first box they see. I didn't notice anyone buying a doll at all, though, so I don't know that firsthand.

[J9S]

When we bought Jess, Kit, and Maia we went through several boxes, taking lids off to really examine the dolls.

Jess took me a bit to find one with a face and wig I liked. Kit was also difficult because my she was for my mother and she wanted that perfect girl. We went through the most boxes with Kit I think, and had no problems.

I went through about six boxes to find my Maia with the help of a PS because she was not on the floor.

As long as you don't try and take the doll out of the box, you should be fine.

Have fun!